Delegates Walk Out As Isreali PM Begins UN Speech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly in New York City was met with a mass walkout by protesting delegates.

Reuters reported that scores of people left the hall as the Israeli prime minister took the stage.

The assembly hall witnessed a mass departure just as Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu arrived to deliver his address during the annual general debate. Those who walked out included nearly all representatives from predominantly Arab and Muslim countries, as well as delegates from several African and European nations.

The walkouts reflected the vast majority of delegates in attendance.

Netanyahu is facing growing opposition among world leaders as the war in Gaza nears its second anniversary. On the sidelines of the U.N. general debate this week, several countries, including Australia, Britain, Canada and France, formally announced their recognition of Palestine, showing their preference for a two-state solution to the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu has rejected the calls for a two-state solution, telling the leaders of these nations on Friday that their recognition of Palestine tells Hamas that “murdering Jews pays off.”